


Cold Hands

by Naumaxia



Series: Romantic Rivalries [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Christmas, Gai feels guilty about lee, Jealousy, M/M, Memories, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Presents, Sixth hokage, cute domestic fluff, kakashi has cold hands, rival challenges
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 15:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12584964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naumaxia/pseuds/Naumaxia
Summary: It’s Christmas in Konoha, the air is cold, the Hokage residence is warm, and gifts are shared all around. Some even stirring up some long forgotten memories





	Cold Hands

“You know you didn’t have to invite me over.” Gai mumbled looking around the expansive living space a little in awe.  
“I wanted to.” The silver haired hokage laughed and pressed a quick kiss to Gai’s lips. “And who knows, if I hadn’t Lee might have invited you to his place and then I would have gotten jealous.”He said simply.  
“I can hardly imagine the great Copy Ninja jealous of anyone.” Bushy Brows laughed.  
“You should probably be glad of that.” Kakashi slumped down on the couch a serious but mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’ve been working on a new jutsu to replace my chidori you know.”  
“Oh, cool.” He didn’t often let it show, but Gai missed his days as a Shinobi a lot, especially when he thought about how everyone else was doing, what with Lee and Tenten finally being promoted to Jonin, and Kakashi, his Eternal Rival, the Hokage. Even sitting in the Hokage residence like it was any other house, was a little unsettling.  
“Anyway,” Kakashi interrupted his line of thought. “I’ve been far too busy with all this responsibility stuff recently, I missed you.” There was a look in his eyes that completely distracted him though. A look Gai was proud to say was kept only for him, for once not even an inch of his rivals body was on alert. It was partly why Jonin didn’t often get romantically involved with each other. Not that Gai held any doubt that either of them regretted it for an instance.  
“I always miss you my Rival!” Gai declared, kissing him quickly on the cheek.  
“Gai, I’ve told you before, but I do have a name.” Kakashi deadpanned, knowing it didn’t really matter anyway since Gai could easily see the blush spreading across his face. It was partly why he liked wearing those masks so much, without them he looked like a twelve year old school girl.  
“Well there could be someone else out there named Kakashi!” Gai protested. “This way you know exactly who I’m talking to.”  
“Mhm, whatever.” Kakashi mumbled leaning into Gai’s embrace, and tucking his feet up next to him so he was curled up into a little ball. If Gai didn’t know better he would have called it cute.  
“I have a present for you!” He exclaimed loudly, suddenly seeming to remember what Christmas meant. Kakashi looked up and examined the hideously wrapped orange and green box he had been passed. Somehow Gai seemed to have challenged himself to make an unopenable present, as Kakashi gauged his way through six layers of paper and twice as many layers of sellotape. Eventually he opened it and took out a pair of objects inside.  
“Gloves?” He asked a little confused.  
“Well I noticed recently that your hands are always cold.” Gai said. “It’s alright, if you don’t like it I can find a better-“ He was cut off as a pair of lips pressed eagerly against his. He stopped his protesting and simply smiled into it.  
“It’s great, Gai.” Kakashi said. “Although I never particularly noticed that about my hands before. I always thought you were the one with the cold hands.”  
“What?! Never!” Gai exclaimed, placing both of his hands over Kakashi’s.  
“Heh, I guess I was wrong.” He laughed. But still a certain memory came back to him, something that with all the rest of the past trauma he thought he had completely forgotten. 

It was only a month or so after the fateful incident in which Kakashi had yelled at Gai for the first time in his life, forcefully reminding him that he couldn’t ever love anyone with a past like his. It was one of those moments at which words seemed to come to the Copy Ninja before he had time to process them properly. But that was another matter. This specific memory occurred more iconically just after the preliminary round of the chunin exams. Kakashi was simply walking back in the direction of home, fairly pleased with how it had gone. Sure, Sakura hadn’t passed, but every one of his students had tried their utmost to succeed, and he couldn’t be prouder of them. He was fairly impressed with the talent on display this year too. Some of them he reckoned even he wouldn’t have been able to beat when he was a genin. If Naruto or Sasuke won even one of their matches in the finals he would be impressed. He was only a block or so away from his apartment, when he heard a strange whimpering noise coming from the nearby alley way. At first he ignored it, hoping whoever it was would have sense to take their ‘activities’ somewhere more private, but then he heard something amongst the whispering, a sob. And not a sob of pain, but a sob of despair. He shouldn’t care, it was probably just some civilian crying over something stupid, but something about the sound of that voice tugged at heartstrings he wasn’t sure he had. So instead of walking past and going home to read and relax for the rest of the day, he turned down the dusty alley way, and found something he had never expected.  
It was Gai, crying. Yeah sure, Gai cried all the time but this was proper crying, anger and fury and pain, as his self proclaimed rival smashed his fists into the wall until everyone of his knuckles bled.  
“Yo,” Kakashi said. Gai appeared not to hear him. “Hey.” He placed a hand on Gai’s arm but it was wrenched away from him, for once in their long friendship he learnt what it was like for Gai, being completely ignored. This time he stepped right in front of the punch, taking it full in the face. That made Gai stop. Kakashi wiped the blood from his face, and grabbed his friends wrist before he could do any more damage to himself. It was stone cold, like a corpses.  
“Gai...”  
“Leave me be.” He mumbled. Mumbling didn’t suit Gai at all, and if they had been in any other situation Kakashi would have felt inclined to tell him so.  
“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Because shredding your knuckles is hardly an effective training method.”  
“Don’t be so ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ with me.” Gai protested. “I don’t have time for that.”  
“And why not?” Kakashi leaned against the wall, wishing his nostrils weren’t filled with the scent of his friend’s blood.  
“Because I failed him...” his usually strong voice faltered. “My student, my beloved student...” he half stepped, half collapsed forwards, Kakashi catching him just at the last second. Somehow they ended up with Kakashi kneeling on the stone pavement, Gai curled up against him, sobbing into his jacket. It was awkward to say the least considering their recent history. He couldn’t help but feel that strain on his heart again. He was the one, after all, who had told Gai off for getting too attached to his student, it was only now he realised how wrong he was.  
“You did the right thing Gai.” He said quietly.  
“How?”  
“I don’t know... but sometimes you just have to believe these things.” Kakashi struggled to his feet. “C’mon, let’s get you inside somewhere. You’re frozen.” It was strange, Kakashi had spent the last month trying to fight back every single feeling he had ever had for the bushy browed Sensei, but now, when Gai was truly in pain, suddenly putting away his emotions seemed so easy. Because what mattered in that moment was only Gai. 

“You know.” Kakashi laughed. “As lovely as the gloves are, I think I prefer you keeping my hands warm personally.” He gripped Gai’s hands a little tighter.  
“As you wish Lord Sixth,” he did a little comedic bow. They both laughed.  
“Well here’s yours.” Kakashi handed his rival a much smaller, much more simply wrapped box.  
“Ah, I bet that this is a gift of true quality as it comes from you dear rival!” He declared.  
“Don’t get your hopes up.” Kakashi looked a little nervous, but Gai was hardly worried, he had confidence that he would love whatever it was his rival had got him. He tore off the paper, and stared a little puzzledly at it.  
“A key?” Gai queried.  
“Umm... yeah.” Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck as he carefully monitored Gai’s reaction. “I was thinking... if you wanted to... Umm maybe...?”  
“You know you can tell me anything,” He was reassured. He smiled. It was a new thing for him to go to this level of trust with someone, but he liked it and it somehow made him feel safe instead of more vulnerable.  
“I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me.” He mumbled. “I’ve had the whole place adapted for better wheelchair access, and put some time aside next week to help move your stuff over... but you don’t have to, I just thought...” Gai’s eyes were welling up with tears but he remained silent. “Gai, you don’t have to, I-“  
“Oh Kakashi! I admit, you win this match!” He wrapped his arms tightly around his silver haired partner and buried his head in his shoulder. “I shall have to find an even better present next year! I vow it!”  
“Gai... dear... I love you... but I really can’t breath!” Kakashi choked out.  
“Oh, right! Sorry!” He let go but still kept one arm around Kakashi’s shoulder. The Hokage snuggled back up against his boyfriend’s side, hardly caring that the term made him seem like a lovesick teen.  
“God I love you so much,” he mumbled into into Gai’s neck.  
“The fire of youth burns in our veins!” Gai declared.  
“Mhm, yeah whatever.”  
“I love you too you ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ rival of mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was looking at some stuff the other day, and was wondering, can someone please explain KakaIru to me? It’s not that I’m hating on it, I just don’t see why so many people ship it. Kakashi and Iruka (although both are amazing characters) barely ever talk. It’s almost as random as shipping someone like Kiba with Temari. Not saying it wouldn’t work, but they have almost zero interaction. Can anyone clear this up at all?


End file.
